California's gas tax hike shows governor's political skill
California Gov. Jerry Brown employed all the tricks he's accumulated over a lifetime in politics to pass one of the largest state tax increases in recent memory in one frenzied week.
Using a mix of public pressure, private arm-twisting, a late-night meeting at the governor's mansion and nearly $1 billion of pork, Brown showed the political acumen that's made him California's longest-serving chief executive.
Brown, who typically prefers to politick in private, was a very public campaigner for the deal he negotiated with fellow Democratic legislative leaders. He ventured to Concord and Riverside to pressure undecided legislators from those areas, and he appealed directly to two legislative committees.
A group of contractors and construction unions underwrote a $1 million ad blitz on TV and social media. And the day before Thursday's vote Brown headlined a rally at the state Capitol.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/californias-gas-tax-hike-shows-governors-political-skill-46674126
